Eight days after
his installation as archbishop of Washington, Abp. Wilton Gregory happily
presided at Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School’s baccalaureate Mass on May 29.
The Mass was celebrated in the crypt church of the National Shrine of the
Immaculate Conception in Washington in the presence of the Class of 2019’s 69
members, their parents and family members, archdiocesan officials, and DBCR’s
faculty and staff.
Abp. Gregory
opened his homily by acknowledging the challenge of preaching to a class about
to graduate, then noted that graduation
refers to stepping forward to a new phase in one’s life. He advised the seniors
to be grateful to those who have helped them step this far, especially their
parents and benefactors.
Then he advised
the class that they will need the Spirit of God as they go forward from DBCR
because they’ll meet numerous challenges, including problems in our society and
culture that weren’t resolved by the young people who preceded them. He singled
out the problem of violence in its many forms: violence glorified by the media,
violence in our streets, the violence of war, the violence of abortion.
The archbishop
also mentioned intolerance, racism, and sexism, hoping that the Class of 2019
will help the world outgrow them, outgrow all the foolish histories and hatreds
in our world.
The solution that
Abp. Gregory proposed to the seniors is the wisdom taught by Jesus: to believe
it and, guided by the Holy Spirit, to embrace it. The Spirit, he added, will
help them to fulfill their dreams of making the world better.
Finally, he prayed
that the Spirit of God fill them with hope and guide their lives every
day. “May you step forward with the Spirit of God.”
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Fr. Manny Gallo, SDB; Fr. Mike Conway, SDB; Msgr. John Ensler; Abp. Wilton Gregory;
Fr. Mike Mendl, SDB; Fr. Dieunel Victor, SDB; and Fr. Dennis Hartigan, SDB
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